The battle had devolved into chaos.
Twisted limbs snapped through the underbrush, clawed hands tearing at trees and stone alike.
The corruption had spread — not just one monster anymore, but many. Dozens.
They poured out of the forest like black tar given form, all of them bearing the sa unnatural, mangled features.
So walked on all fours, others slithered. One even crawled upside down along the trees, its limbs cracking backward with each movent.
Nova stood in the middle of it all, blade dripping with dark ichor. His muscles were tensed, breathing steady but shallow.
Then it hit him.
A sudden crack, like a ripple through his bones, and his aether—normally a roaring river within his veins—slamd to a crawl.
His fingers twitched and for a second, his sword wavered. He narrowed his eyes. The pressure was external, a force slithering around him like invisible chains.
[Nova.]
Nyx’s voice rang out inside his head, sharp with urgency.
[The core... it’s active. It’s interfering with your aether flow—blocking it.]
Nova clicked his tongue and ducked under a swipe from a hulking beast.
"Perfect timing."
[I’m trying to keep your internal channels stable, but you’re going to be limited for a while.]
He didn’t respond. Another corrupted creature leapt at him from the right. Nova t it with a shoulder slam, bones crunching under his force even without aether reinforcent.
He grabbed it mid-air, twisted, and slamd it into the dirt hard enough to leave a crater.
More ca. Five, then ten.
Malrik was nearby, surrounded by his own wave of corrupted foes.
His usual graceful movents were replaced by sheer brutality—snapping necks, breaking legs, driving spears through chests. But even he looked irritated.
"I’m starting to think they don’t like us!"
Malrik yelled, ripping his weapon free.
Nova grunted, ducking a claw that would’ve taken off his jaw.
"Not our most popular visit, no."
Malrik turned serious.
"I’m going to try sothing risky. Get away from ."
Nova paused.
"What are you planning?"
"Sothing flashy."
Nova didn’t wait for more explanation. He bolted backward, dragging a few of the corrupted away with him. Malrik closed his eyes, centering himself.
The aether of reason surged around him, not smooth like Nova’s — but sharp, wild, and intense.
Cracks ford beneath Malrik’s feet. Trees bent under the pressure. The air shimred with invisible threads of logic and force, like equations writing themselves into reality.
But just as the final glyph of power ford at Malrik’s feet—ready to explode—
The sky split.
Dozens of glowing swords materialized above them in a radiant circle of golden light. They hovered for less than a breath before they rained down.
Shhhk-thmp. Thmp. THMP.
Each one found its target with surgical precision. Monsters scread—then fell silent.
The forest trembled.
The corrupted bodies twitched, then lay still, dissolving into black mist that hissed as it t the ground.
Whatever twisted energy that had birthed them, it wasn’t strong enough to resist the sudden divine precision of what just occurred.
Nova looked up.
Descending through the clearing was Queen Eleysa, wrapped in a mantle of white and gold, her long hair floating like silk in the wind.
The aether of reason shimred around her, bending light, warping gravity.
Every step she took in the air glowed beneath her, as if the world was creating a path just for her to walk on.
Her skin glowed faintly—golden from aether saturation—and her eyes were locked onto the battlefield below, sharp as blades.
In that mont, she looked like a goddess descended from the heavens.
Anna, who had been crouched behind a broken stump, shield raised and breathing hard, looked up in stunned silence.
Even Nova’s expression changed, albeit subtly.
The Queen landed beside the carnage, her presence alone pushing back the ambient corruption. She looked at Nova and Malrik, then down at the dead creatures.
"Twisted. Corrupted. These are not of our world."
Her voice was soft but carried.
Malrik let out a breath, wiping the sweat off his brow.
"Glad to see you, Your Majesty. That was almost overkill."
She shot him a look.
"Don’t be dramatic. You were five seconds from igniting the whole forest."
Nova remained silent, watching her carefully. His sword hadn’t lowered yet.
Queen Eleysa walked closer to one of the bodies and examined it.
"This isn’t natural corruption. Sothing—soone—is accelerating it."
Nova finally spoke.
"Do you know what it is?"
"No. But it’s not the first ti I’ve seen this."
She stood.
Anna slowly approached the group, her hands still trembling.
"So... this wasn’t part of the hunt?"
Malrik gave a humorless chuckle.
"Not unless soone thought feeding us to the apocalypse was good sport."
Queen Eleysa raised a hand.
"This hunt is over. We need to call back all participants. And burn the corrupted bodies before they seep into the land."
She turned her eyes to Nova again.
"And you—held yourself well, considering what was going on around you this ti."
Her gaze lingered.
Nova shrugged, wiping blood off his blade.
"I’m used to worse."
She didn’t laugh, but the corner of her mouth twitched.
"We’ll speak later."
With that, she rose into the air again, her swords still humming faintly around her like celestial guardians.
Nova watched her until she disappeared beyond the trees.
Malrik let out a low whistle.
"Now that’s a queen who knows how to make an entrance."
Nova glanced sideways.
"She’s not as subtle as she thinks."
"You’re not as emotionless as you think."
Malrik shot back.
Anna didn’t speak. Her eyes lingered on the black mist slowly evaporating.
"Nova...Is this... is this what the prophecy ant?"
She said softly.
Nova didn’t answer imdiately. He looked at the dissipating corruption, then at his own hand. His fingers tingled, still numb from the restriction earlier.
"...It’s starting. And we’re running out of ti."
He said finally.
[Nova.]
Nyx’s voice crackled through his mind, unusually quiet.
[The signal’s gone.]
Nova, still wiping black ichor from his blade, paused.
"Gone?"
[Completely. Whatever trace the core of reason left behind—it’s vanished. There’s no pattern, no anchor point. It’s like it was never there.]
His jaw tightened.
"Keep working on it. Even ghosts leave trails."
He muttered under his breath, his voice low enough that only Nyx could hear.
[I’ll try. But don’t count on finding anything stable. I’ve never seen interference this refined.]
She said.
Nova didn’t respond. His gaze swept over the burned field and the misty remnants of corrupted monsters.
Whatever the core of reason was planning, it had already taken a step forward. And judging by the precision with which it wiped its traces, it wouldn’t make mistakes.
Soon enough, Malrik walked over, dragging a tired-looking Anna behind him.
"Well, the officials are too scared to ask questions, so they want us to return for now. Sothing about containnt and investigation and not dying in the woods."
Malrik said, clapping his hands, Anna sighed.
"Sounds responsible."
Nova didn’t argue. His mind was already racing ahead.
Whatever ca next, it wouldn’t wait long.
Nova gave the battlefield one last glance before turning away. The corrupted aether still lingered faintly, clinging to the air like ash after a fire.
Whatever force had sent those things wasn’t finished yet. As they began the walk back, Nova knew one thing for sure—this planet was about to change.
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